Why I now think you should build your Brand and Community first, then your Product and Business

Building a brand in today's digital landscape requires more than just a great product—it’s about creating a community that supports, engages, and grows alongside your business. While it’s tempting to focus solely on your product or marketing efforts, the true magic happens when you shift your focus to the customer experience and community building. Over the years in ecommerce, I’ve realised that community is what transforms a one-time customer into a loyal supporter. Let’s explore how building a strong community around your brand can be the difference between a surviving business and a thriving one.

The Early Days: Building an eCommerce Business from Scratch

I launched my product-based eCommerce business over 6 years ago. While it’s easy to look back and see what could have been done better, the reality is that in the moment, you’re often just trying to keep things afloat. There were plenty of highs, like hitting 7 figures per annum within 3 years and supporting countless kaupapa across the motu through free products and sponsorships. But there were also challenges, such as growing pains, partnership changes, and even legal threats. Through it all, our community remained our backbone, supporting us when we needed it most.

Building a Community: It’s More Than Just a Following

When people think of building a successful business, they often focus on the product or marketing. However, what truly keeps customers coming back is the experience—customer service, how queries are handled, and the entire interaction journey. It’s not about perfection; it’s about striving to make each interaction a positive one. It’s about transforming those occasional bad days into learning opportunities rather than allowing them to become bad weeks or months.

The key to this lies in building a community that’s just as invested in your brand as you are. It means taking your customers on a journey with you and making them feel like a part of your story. In hindsight, if my goal had been solely to build a successful eCommerce business, I might have chosen a different product. But my passion for bilingual stationery and having Māori products used everyday,   was something I wanted to share with a community that resonated with the story behind it.

The Importance of Community: A Māori Perspective

As Māori, we inherently understand the importance of connections and networks—concepts that are deeply woven into our culture. This mindset was key in shaping how I approached building my business. A strong community provides more than just sales; it offers  feedback, loyalty, and resilience in the face of challenges. Here's how we organically built our community and how you can do the same.

Strategies for Building a Community Around Your Brand

1. Create a Space for Engagement Early On:

   • Even before we launched the business, we built our social media, shared ideas and encouraged feedback. This simple step made our earliest supporters feel involved in our product development process.
   • Offering free online classes and focus groups allowed us to create meaningful interactions. These low cost simple activities bought people together, fostering a sense of belonging and connection to the products we were creating and business we were building. 

2. Provide Value Through Free Resources:

   • We often gave away free resources to test new ideas & to build the community.  This was relatively easy for a stationery brand, but is also possible for many others in this digital marketing age.  Regardless of what type of product you are selling, there is likely an easy to download free digital resource you can create that you can share with your community. 
   • Sharing free resources helped us build goodwill and reinforced our commitment to our customers.

3. Leverage Email Marketing for Deeper Connections:

   • At the beginning, we struggled with email marketing, but we quickly realized its potential. Between 30% - 70% of our sales would come from email campaigns, depending on the time of year.
   • Email subscribers tend to convert at a much higher rate than social media followers, it is where we see real engagement and sales.

4. Go Beyond Digital—Connect in Person:

   • Digital presence is crucial, but in-person interactions can take customer relationships to another level. We’ve run countless markets over the year, (often to grow awareness, not for sales) held workshops, run wananga, attended events & spoken at many events to meet our customers face-to-face.
   • Being present and accessible builds trust and allows customers to see the passion behind your brand. It’s not just about selling; it’s about fostering real connections.

5. Know Your Community and Prioritize Value Over Vanity Metrics:

   • It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers—followers, likes, and views. But these are often vanity metrics that don’t necessarily translate into sales.
   • Focus on building a community of people who genuinely connect with your brand. Understand who your ideal customers are, what challenges they face, and how your product fits into their lives.
   • Invest in nurturing relationships with these customers through thoughtful engagement and consistent value, rather than chasing followers.

Key Metrics & Lessons Learned

• Building a community takes time, but the returns are worth it. 
• It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being present and making the effort to ensure customers feel heard and valued.

Ways to Build and Nurture Your Brand’s Community

• Focus on the Experience: Great customer service and communication should be the foundation of every interaction.
• Engage Through Storytelling: Share your journey, your mission, and your values. People want to feel like they’re supporting a brand that stands for something.
• Create Opportunities for Feedback: Use surveys, focus groups, and social media to understand your community’s needs and desires.
• Offer Exclusivity: Give your most loyal customers access to early product launches, discounts, or exclusive content. This makes them feel valued and keeps them engaged.
• Build Trust Through Consistency: Show up for your community regularly, whether it’s through weekly emails, monthly webinars, or regular social media updates.

Conclusion: Building a Brand That Stands the Test of Time

Building a brand is about more than creating a product—it’s about cultivating a community that believes in your mission and feels connected to your story. A successful business is not just one that generates sales but one that creates a sense of belonging among its customers.

By focusing on building a community around your brand, you can create a loyal customer base that not only buys your products but also advocates for your brand. Start with a strategy, focus on delivering value, and never forget the importance of genuine connections. Remember, it's not just about the product you sell—it's about the experience and the community you build around it.

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